The Battle with a Bear

Before winter arrived, the blind bears became unusually active. They would not let any food that appeared in their line of sight escape. Wang Anfeng had known this since childhood. Yet even in the stories told to frighten children, there had never been such a robust giant beast.

On all fours, it already stood a head taller than Wang Anfeng. When it raised its head and roared, a stench mingled with the reek of blood washed over him. Its greedy eyes fixed on the boy, muscles rippling beneath its fur. It suddenly rose and pounced. Wang Anfeng's pupils contracted. His footwork shifted, and the bear's paw and razor-sharp claws swept past his clothes. Seizing the opportunity, his right fist slammed hard into the giant beast's abdomen.

His fist landed, and the chain rang out, but it produced only a dull thud. Wang Anfeng clearly felt his fist force dissipate almost instantly against that glossy coat, while the remaining strength sank into the fat like a mud ox plunging into the sea, vanishing without a trace. His expression changed slightly.

"Roar, roar, roar!"

The black bear let out a roar, planted three feet on the ground, and swung its right claw forward. A vicious gale accompanied the blow as it swept toward Wang Anfeng's chest. The boy shifted his stance and tried to evade, but he had moved too close while attacking. Though the black bear was clumsy and sluggish, its attacks were astonishingly swift. He had only retreated half a step when the bear's paw smashed heavily across his body.

The bear's claws collided with the chain, releasing a piercing shriek, while the boy was sent flying and crashed heavily into an old tree.

Crack!

The tree split apart in an instant. Wang Anfeng's face went pale, and he coughed a mouthful of blood from the corner of his lips. He felt that the overwhelming force of that blow was nearly impossible to withstand. His mind went blank for an instant, but the willpower forged through countless extremes drove his body to roll once more, carrying out an evasive maneuver. In the place where he had just been, the old tree had already been smashed to pieces.

Forceful energy shot in every direction. The power in its paw was truly no weaker than that of some martial arts experts in Uncle Li's tales.

The black bear seemed to have confirmed that the creature before it was no match for it. Its posture became noticeably more relaxed as it slowly approached Wang Anfeng in a manner brimming with intimidation. The boy struggled to his feet, but his surging blood and qi had yet to recover.

When the black bear drew within a few steps of him, it suddenly rose onto its hind legs. Amid its roar, it brought one paw crashing down over Wang Anfeng's head. Its momentum was violent, and the force was several times more massive and terrifying than the previous two blows. Wang Anfeng's body hair stood on end, his blood and qi surged, and he gained an extra three parts of strength. He lowered his body and narrowly avoided the paw.

Seeing the black bear's body stiffen for an instant from the sheer force of its blow, Wang Anfeng gritted his teeth hard. Like a man seeking death, he suddenly leaped up, seized its right arm with one hand, and vaulted past death by a hair to land on the back of the black bear's neck. Both hands clutched the thick fur there.

He had noticed it just now: the black bear's paws simply could not reach behind it.

The boy let out a light breath. His right arm shook, and the chain rang as it loosened and dropped. He then swung it sideways, while his left hand caught the other end in an instant. Both arms abruptly exerted force. With a thunderous clang, the chain was pulled taut and stretched deathly tight across the black bear's throat. The boy's eyes widened, and his formerly clear gaze was filled with the divine light of one driven to the absolute limit.

His body had theoretically already reached its limit, yet at that moment it unleashed explosive power no weaker than that of its peak. The pitch-black chain tightened in an instant. Deep in the forest, the black bear's pained, furious roar and the boy's enraged shout rang out together.

At that moment, eight fine horses came thundering through the dust into Great Liang Village. At the head rode a tall man dressed in brocade robes. Beside him, on a smaller colt, sat a boy of around twelve or thirteen, gazing around at the exquisite surroundings with open curiosity. His occasional light chuckles made the brocade-clad man's expression grow increasingly gloomy.

He truly regretted letting that carpenter make things for his own child...

He regretted even more agreeing to let the boy personally receive the "goods."

What angered him most was the carpenter's long tongue. He truly wished he could cut it out and feed it to the dogs! The man had claimed that he had some interesting news to cheer the young master up. If not for that, how would Xiujie have seen the timber whose cut ends were covered in fist marks?

Several people reined in their steeds in the village. The boy eagerly dismounted, followed by a tall strongman. The latter was still carrying a man in a short jacket. The man was fairly sturdy, but after being jolted along the entire way and held in someone's grip, his legs felt weak as soon as he touched the ground, and he nearly fell to his knees.

The boy had already trotted over, his eyes shining.

"Is the man you mentioned before—the one strong enough to carry a tree away—here?"

The man's stomach was still churning, but upon hearing the boy's question, he forced himself to put on a flattering smile.

"Yes, yes. About a month ago, this humble one came here looking for timber and bought that wood right here."

"At the time, I was so delighted to have finally found good wood for the young master that I thought it called for a celebration throughout the land. I even gave the owner of that tea stall one silver tael."

The boy grew even more delighted at those words, but the strongman merely knitted his brows. He grabbed the bent, stooping man and tossed him aside, then turned and strode toward the tea stall. It was already October, and the weather had turned cold, yet the strongman wore only a single garment, leaving both arms bare. His muscles bulged, terrifying to behold, casting a shadow over the tea-stall attendant.

He looked fierce, but was extremely courteous. First, he clasped his fists in salute before asking, "My apologies for troubling the shopkeeper. I have something to inquire about. If I have disturbed you, please forgive me."

The tea-stall attendant glanced at the arms as thick as his own thighs and secretly swallowed. With a dry laugh, he said, "Y-you may ask..."

"May I ask whether what that man said just now was true?"

Only after hearing the question did the attendant's heart ease slightly. He replied, "If you mean the boy who carried the tree, then it's true... His name is Wang Anfeng, and he grew up here in our Great Liang Village."

Then he grumbled, "But that one silver tael was truly a load of nonsense..." He suddenly remembered that by saying the man was talking nonsense, he had effectively cursed the boy as well. His face paled slightly, but the strongman merely smiled, flicked down a silver coin, and said, "Now, that statement is true..."

With that, he inclined his head slightly, turned around, and strode back toward the brocade-clad man. He quietly reported what had happened. The brocade-clad man knit his brows and said, "You did well, but there really is such a person... Xiujie has been obsessed with Biographies of Wandering Knights lately. He has no interest in the martial artists around him and is fixated only on those rustic rumors... This is already the seventh one. We've spent money bringing a whole pile of swindlers into the residence. If they weren't at least honest, I'd truly want to break their legs and throw them out."

As he spoke, resentment filled his voice, and he gnashed his teeth. But with the boy nearby, he could only lower his voice, making him look exceptionally stifled.

The strongman smiled faintly and said, "The tea-stall attendant is only seventeen or eighteen. He said he watched that boy grow up, so the boy should be only thirteen or fourteen. I also saw those fist marks. Even if they were faked, the boy must have some foundation in fist techniques. How about this... We provoke those 'masters' of the young master a little and have them exchange moves with that boy."

"If the boy really is a fraud, this will let the young master see their disgrace, and it won't be difficult to enlighten him later. If the boy truly has ability, then first, we can drive away these wandering swindlers. Second, if such a young man truly exists, I will apologize on the spot for my discourtesy, while the young master should treat him sincerely. This is an opportunity."

The brocade-clad man rolled his eyes and said, "You don't need to tell me that... Although those rotten winter melons and stinking eggs are completely useless, you and I still took advantage of that child. Isn't saluting, apologizing, and compensating him only natural?"

"Even if he truly is a fraud, you and I should apologize. Whether he is a fraud is his business, but whether we should apologize is ours. Those who walk the martial world cannot abandon their honor. Besides, if he really has such fist techniques at thirteen or fourteen, I'd carry him back in an eight-man sedan chair if I had to and invite him to join us..."

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